Democrat Dan Goughnour has the support of former Obama administration official Eric Holder while Chuck Davis pledged to support term limits for Congress.
Since January, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives have been tied 101-101 between Republicans and Democrats after the late Rep. Matt Gergely passed away. That will change next week when voters in the 35th district will vote on a successor. Gergely represented the 35th district, based in Allegheny County since 2023 when a previous special election was held to fill the seat of Austin Davis, who was elected Lieutenant Governor in the 2022 general election.
Democratic nominee Dan Goughnour and Republican Charles (Chuck) Davis will face off along with Libertarian Adam Kitta on Tuesday March 25 in a race that will determine the majority of the Pennsylvania House.
Goughnour and Davis were selected by their local parties shortly after Gergely passed. Upon their nominations, both candidates spoke to local media, with Davis saying he is “ready to step up, listen to the concerns of our residents.” Goughner told WESA he wanted to “make sure the Mon Valley is well represented” and vowed to “carry on [Gergely’s] legacy.”
Goughnour is a school board member in McKeesport while also serving as the Captain of Detectives in the McKeesport Police Department. Goughnour recently received the endorsement from President Obama’s former Attorney General Eric Holder, who now heads the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. The NDRC works across the country to ensure new legislative maps, drawn every ten years after the Census, favor Democrats. Goughnour said his priorities as a state representative would be to increase funding for firefighters, police, and other first responders, support job training programs and public schools, and focus on lowering the cost of living.
Davis is a fire chief and White Oak Borough Council President. He is a “lifelong resident” of the borough, with experience chairing multiple council committees related to important public safety and health. Local Republican Party leader Sam DeMarco said Davis was “an experienced fighter with fresh ideas.” Davis made recent headlines for pledging support for a constitutional amendment to enact term limits on Congress. The Republican candidate said he’d like to lower taxes, boost the state’s energy resources, protect jobs, and support first responders.
While no polling appears to have been released indicating public sentiment, former Vice President Kamala Harris carried the district by 16 points in last year’s election, despite losing Pennsylvania and the White House to President Donald Trump. Local media say a Davis win “would be a seismic upset for Republicans”, while the head of the campaign organization for statehouse Republicans said they were “not taking anything for granted,” arguing election results can defy trends.
Aside from Holder’s endorsement, other high-profile Democrats, such as DNC Chair Ken Martin, have stumped for Goughnour in the district. Martin said Goughnour’s victory would “show that Democrats are willing to fight for their values.” A win for Goughnour would ensure current House Speaker Joanna McClinton would keep her gavel.
There is another special election in Lancaster County the same day as the contest between Goughnour and Davis. Former Republican state Senator Ryan Aument resigned his seat to work for newly elected Sen. Dave McCormick. The state Senate race holds less importance as it will not impact the chamber’s balance of power.
